Monday, November 16, 2009

St. Vincent Turner Hall tickets in Hand Already

St. Vincent was on Austin City Limits a few weeks back. They had just played in Milwaukee prior to that television broadcast. I had no idea who they were when they passed through town. If I had, I would have bought Riverside Theater tickets for that show. I thought the typical thoughts when I miss a live show. They might be back next year.

In the case of St. Vincent, the wait won't be too long. They come to Turner Hall on February 17th, and I already have my ticket in hand. After playing their disk Actor about 15 times, I'm a fan of this eclectic band.

What do I like about St. Vincent. First, their videos are stories that don't insult your senses with thousands of 1 second clips. That's got to be the most annoying thing about videos. Second, the songs don't take the usual path. The vocal melodies may follow too closely with the actual notes on the keys or violin, but I'll live with that. Any disk that has more than two great songs on it is surprising. Actor has at least six well written songs. Save Me From What I want, Black Rainbow, Laughing With A Mouth of Blood all satisfy.

If I were to pick the best song on Actor, it would have to be The Party. The story she tells comes to life with the first line. Staying too late at a party, licking the ice cubes, cleaning the ashtrays and fixating on a hole in a t-shirt. It's all so real. Annie Clark doesn't whisper this melody. She just sings it out loud, and I like that very much. See you in February St. Vincent.